


A Bottle of Blue Flames

by quantumgravity



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Alternate Universe - Victorian Era and Magic, First Meetings, M/M, it's a weird au, you know like a howl's moving castle vibe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 11:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9233375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantumgravity/pseuds/quantumgravity
Summary: Before the train left for its destination, Yuuri had been able to sneak into the train and claim a corner to himself. The deafening pumping of the train's wheels and his small leather bag filled with empty bottles and ingredients he put in his potions kept him company.Maybe he was not the only person in the car.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic as a birthday present for Rena. Hi Rena ily, you've read this before and I hope you enjoyed it!!! Anyways this will be a series of one shots.

A steam-powered train zipped down the tracks and the loud pumping noises the wheels made could be heard for at least a hundred metres, or so Yuuri thought. He tried his best to stay as hidden as possible in the cramped train car. Yuuri took his hat off and ran his fingers through his messy black hair. He opened his bag and carefully placed his beige newsboy cap inside. If only he had scraped a little more money from his potion business, then he could have been riding in a different car and sitting comfortably with others on one of the wooden seats. The car he was in was filled with large, wooden crates and suitcases of the passengers. Before the train left for its destination, Yuuri had been able to sneak into the train and claim a corner to himself. The deafening pumping of the train's wheels and his small leather bag filled with empty bottles and ingredients he put in his potions kept him company.

Maybe he was not the only person in the car.

Yuuri heard a loud sneeze that came from the other end of the car.  _ Oh no _ , the probability of him being forcibly escorted out of the train increased from five percent to a hundred.

"Is anyone there?" he whispered as he pulled his bag closer to him and gripped the handle tighter.

"Quick, bless me before my soul escapes my body!" a voice exclaimed with a giggle at the end.

"Um, bless you?" Yuuri answered reluctantly. Was this person going to kick him out? Probably not. Like Yuuri, the person also hid amongst the baggage and crates. They might be in the same situation, riding the train to an unknown destination, hoping to run away from their past life.

The voice giggled. They muttered a quick thank you. Yuuri could hear the person shuffling in their place and the sound of the person's footsteps approaching him seemed much louder than the noises the train was making. Yuuri stood up to greet the person with his eyes glued to the floor. He slowly lifted them up to find a man a few inches taller than him with pale skin, bright blue eyes that shone in the dim light peeping through the holes in the roof, and shiny silver hair. His cheeks were covered in smudges of different colours. He was lanky and looked like he barely ate his whole life, his shirt hanging loosely on his body, one of his suspenders fallen off his shoulder. How would Yuuri describe him? An absolute mess.

Despite the dirt on his face and the mess of a shirt he wore, he was beautiful.

This man caught Yuuri completely off-guard, Yuuri felt a lump caught in his throat and his ears got warmer with each second that passed. He had no idea what to say or do but admire the man right in front of him.

"You can call me Victor, how about you?" the man said in a hushed but eager voice, holding out a hand for Yuuri to shake.

"My name is Yuuri," Yuuri hesitantly took Victor's hand and gave it an unsteady shake. Victor's face was plastered with a smile that looked all too routine, and he patted Yuuri lightly on the shoulder.

The pair sat down behind a few crates. The lack of space forced them to be pushed right next to each other, arms and thighs nudged against each other. This was an odd feeling. Yuuri could feel his heart beating in his throat. He felt the need to initiate some sort of conversation and had a lot of questions in his mind. There must have been a reason for Victor to sneak into a train ride he knew would be six hours long. No one pulled a stunt like this for fun, there must be a reason.

Yuuri opened his mouth but quickly shut it. He thought back on his choice of words. The longer he waited, the heavier the atmosphere got. There were a jumble of words floating around his brain, and he needed to sift through them to properly talk to Victor. Yuuri counted the number of pumps he could hear the train make, hoping it could calm him down and gather the courage to talk to Victor.

"Yuuri," Victor started, turning his head to look at Yuuri, "why are you on this train?"

Yuuri looked up at him to meet his eyes, entranced by Victor's bright eyes despite the dim lighting. He thought for a few minutes about Victor's question, blinking a few times as he tried to formulate an answer.

"Well… I come from this small town and people are slowly leaving it. It has been hurting my business so I figured that... I could run away and start fresh in the bigger city." Yuuri sounded uncertain of himself but he had a clear goal in his head. He was never used to declaring it to other people.

Just when Yuuri finally formulated a question in his head for Victor, Victor beat him to it.

"Hmm, I see," Victor put a finger on his chin. "What was your business?" He asked inquisitively.

"I make potions and little spells for people in little envelopes, like good luck charms you can take with you."

"Wow! That is amazing! Your job sounds so much more interesting than mine," Victor replied, voice tinged with bitterness though it still carried the same enthusiasm he voiced before.

"Victor..." Yuuri's voice trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you on this train? What job did you have? Where are you going?"

"Woah, woah, woah," Victor raised both arms in surrender, "let me answer them one by one first."

Victor hummed, adjusted his seating position, sat up straighter and placed his hands on his knees. "First, I also want to get out of my town. I did something horrible there. Second, I have been working in the same textile factory since I was five years old, it has been twenty-two years since then. Third, I have no idea, maybe to the same big city as you!"

Yuuri stared wide-eyed at Victor. He could not believe that someone would work in a textile factory for over two decades. While Victor was busy creating fabrics, Yuuri lived comfortably learning how to create spells and potions from his family.

"Since you were five, huh. Why did you leave?" Yuuri knew that working at a factory was not the best job out there. He had already guessed the answer before asking.

"I left because I did something horrible. I just got tired of the job and threw a temper tantrum, and that is all." Victor said nonchalantly. Oddly enough, a small mischievous smile spread across his face. He did something bad? What could it even be? Why was he smiling? Whatever Victor did, there was no hint of regret in his voice.

"What did you do?" Yuuri said, curiosity starting to eat him.

Victor giggled, the grin on his face widening with each second. To Yuuri, the smile on his face looked like a large cartoon heart.

"First! You have to promise me that you are never ever going to tell anyone, okay Yuuri?" Victor extended his arm and held out his pinky finger to Yuuri. Yuuri nodded, a smile growing on his face while he wrapped his pinky around Victor's.

Victor shook their hands up and down three times then let go. He shifted in his spot so that he was closer to Yuuri, cupping his hands in between them.

Suddenly, there was a spark on Victor's palm, then a blue flame rose from his calloused hands. The flame grew and its light filled the dim train car, illuminating Victor's and Yuuri's faces. Yuuri could see him much clearer now. Victor's hair was a beautiful silver colour that reflected the bright blue flames. His eyes were more vibrant, filled with  _ light, _ the same colour as the flame; Yuuri could not help but stare at them.

Yuuri could feel his glasses melting from the heat of the flame. He directed his gaze back to the blue flame on Victor's hand. It was obvious that Victor had a magical power, for someone who worked in a textile factory—most likely without any magical training—he could command the flame to fit right in his cupped hands. It gracefully danced on his palms like a carefully manipulated marionette. The flame did not flicker and it had a smooth outline. Yuuri felt drawn to it, his face inched closer and closer and—

"Careful now or you will burn yourself," Victor warned him.

"Oh, sorry." Yuuri drew his head back and adjusted his glasses. "So, does this have something to do with the horrible thing you did?"

"Yes," Victor's tone was more serious, "I actually burned down the equipment and what I was supposed to be working on after work hours have ended." Victor closed his palms, extinguishing the flame.

"Running away so you do not get in trouble?"

"Yes! I packed my bags and said goodbye to that horrible town. I left my bag in the corner I was sitting in but I am not going to worry about it until the train stops. Anyways, I hated working in that factory. I guess they have no use for my careful hands there now." Victor laughed to himself.

"Can you show me the flame again?" Yuuri asked him quietly, eyes glued to Victor's closed palms.

Victor grinned. "Of course," he whispered. He opened his palms, a small spark forming first, then a blue flame growing larger by the second.

Yuuri was just mesmerised by it. It was beautiful. It was something else. It was not the kind of magic Yuuri was used to. He was used to magic that was less destructive and simple. He has known a few people in his life with flames just as refined as Victor's.

"Yuuri, you said you made potions and spells, right?" Yuuri tore his gaze away from the flame and looked up to meet Victor's eyes. He nodded and put his hands around Victor's fingers to close Victor's open palms, killing the flame. Yuuri reluctantly left his hands on Victor's.

He looked up at Victor, a question burning in the back of his mind but he had no idea how to put it.

"Victor, do you have any place to go once this train ends?" Victor pouted and shook his head. His short silver hair bouncing side to side. Yuuri gave him a small but hopeful smile. This earned him a confused look from Victor who directed his gaze to their hands. His hands were warm against Yuuri's.

"What do you think about coming with me? I could use a helper with the shop I plan to open soon."

"Yes!" Victor exclaimed, not even giving a second thought to his decision.

"Are you sure?" Yuuri's grip on Victor's hands tightened.

"Nope! This train ride has been the best decision I have made so far. Yuuri, thank you."

Yuuri's smile widened. He thought his desire to leave the town for a better shot at his business was a good idea but now with Victor in the picture, leaving the town was much more worth it. Yuuri could picture it, a small shop with herbs scattered around the building and his potions lined up neatly on a shelf. He would not be alone in the shop either with Victor by his side. It was not a lot but it was a good place to start.

The pumping of the train's wheels did not seem so loud anymore. Yuuri could hear his heart beat faster and much louder. He noticed smaller things he did not take the time to appreciate, like how Victor's calloused hands felt in his much smoother ones, how Victor's smile was crooked and heart-shaped, and how Victor's face was a mess of different coloured smudges on his cheeks.

For the rest of the trip, the two spent their time huddled against each other. They talked about themselves and learned more details about each other. The trip was long but felt comfortable despite the cramped space and the stiff crates they leaned against moving across the floor from time to time.

The train went on to the next town, leaving a trail of smoke where it's been, pushing forward to a new place.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Kate and Alice for helping me out with this au and giving me ideas for this!! Also thanks to Rena and Vin for being my two lovely betas for this!! You guys are great and ily all <3 Oh btw, this fic will be a series of one shots. So like snippets of Victor and Yuuri's lives from here. 
> 
> hmu on twitter: @viictuuris


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